Small animals are vulnerable to attack by predatory animals, especially birds of prey or raptors which swoop down to grab the small animal in their talons. Birds of prey often swoop down out of the sky at great speeds and attempt to grasp with their talons, the small animals around their torso area or more specifically around their back, and if successful, lift the small animal off the ground and soar away with the animal. Even if unsuccessful, the force of the impact from the bird of prey and its talons causes extensive injury to the small animal and can potentially be fatal.
Today, more and more people are moving farther from large metropolitan or urban areas and living in more rural areas or country towns and cities abundant with wildlife, and as the population of such birds of prey is increasing, so also are such attacks from birds of prey on small animals increasing. This presents a clear and present danger to small pets, and in particular, but not limited to, small dogs or puppies. Attacks from birds of prey on such small pets are occurring more frequently. Anytime these small pets are outdoors, they are vulnerable to an attack by a bird of prey. Should such an attack occur, the results can be devastating, not only physically to the pet, but emotionally to the pet owner as well.
There exist a number of protection devices for animals, used for various reasons. For example, the following devices are known in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,888 issued to DeAngelis et al. on Apr. 16, 1985 discloses a protective shield assembly for encircling and protecting the leg of an animal, particularly a canine, to permit healing of a wound and to substantially prevent continued self-destruction of the healing process. This device is used in a medical form to prevent an animal from chewing, licking, or irritating a leg wound, and is designed to withstand the effects of chewing or gnawing by the canine of the canine's leg. This device is to be used after an operation or injury has occurred on or to the canine's leg. Unlike this device which would not protect against an attack from a bird of prey, the protective device of the present invention is not intended for a medical purpose to protect an existing leg wound. Rather it is designed to protect small dogs (e.g., twelve lbs. and under) from hawks or other raptors or birds of prey, to prevent the talons of birds of prey from penetrating through the back and/or sides of the dog's body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,537 issued to Caditz on Dec. 7, 1999 discloses a full body, protective canine coat, particularly for protecting canines from extreme climates. This device consist of a thermal lining such as polar fleece and nylon which completely surrounds the canine's torso via a chest/belly section and a back cover section, to protect hunting and sled racing canines primarily from extreme weather. This fill body canine coat is intended to help control canine body temperature in extreme weather. The coat also includes a hood, and an upper neck protection with fasteners. Unlike this device which would not protect against an attack from a bird of prey, the protective device of the present invention is not intended for protection from extreme weather, does not control the temperature of the body so that dogs can endure extreme temperatures, and does not cover the dog's belly, upper neck or head. Rather it is designed to protect small dogs (e.g., twelve lbs. and under) from hawks or other raptors or birds of prey, to prevent the talons of birds of prey from penetrating through the back and/or sides of the dog's body.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,194 issued to LaBelle on Jul. 18, 2000 discloses a reversible heat-reflective pet garment designed to protect against hot or cold temperatures. The coat is made up of colored polyethylene and aluminized polyethylene which are soft to the touch. These materials are heat fused together to provide reversible protection against hot or cold temperatures. The cut of the garment is a generally rectangular shape with a cut out neck portion. Unlike this device which would not protect against an attack from a bird of prey, the protective device of the present invention is not intended for protection from hot or cold temperatures. Rather it is designed to protect small dogs (e.g., twelve lbs. and under) from hawks or other raptors or birds of prey, to prevent the talons of birds of prey from penetrating through the back and/or sides of the dog's body.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,015,948 issued to Hall on Sep. 13, 2011 discloses a canine protective suit which resembles a suit of armor for a canine, connected with fastener or buckles, which protects the upper and lower body along with the legs, head, and neck. There is also a face shield made with ear cutouts, which is supported with straps to the neck and back of the shield. This is a federally sponsored development that was researched and designed to be used for law enforcement agencies training canines. This armor helps protect a canine's face and body from serious dangers while assisting law enforcement including military or fire departments in dangerous crimes, search and rescue situations, including bomb or other explosive threats. This is climate controlled and mostly to protect canines from extreme hazards and crime related injuries. The protective suit is made of flotational, bulletproof, fire resistant, and non-pierceable protective materials, with additional protective materials such as fabric, plastic or metal selectively secured to the canine's protective suit. Unlike this device which is not intended to protect against an attack from a bird of prey, and which would be cumbersome, uncomfortable and cost prohibitive for such use, the protective device of the present invention is not intended for protection from extreme hazards or climate conditions, and crime related injuries and occupational risks, or to be used as a flotational device, or bomb or bulletproof protection. Rather it is designed to protect small dogs (e.g., twelve lbs. and under) from hawks or other raptors or birds of prey, to prevent the talons of birds of prey from penetrating through the back and/or sides of the dog's body.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0045512 to Goudal on Mar. 11, 2004 discloses an ergonomic and adjustable veterinary apparatus for movement restriction designed to prevent an animal from reaching a zone of its body with its mouth or paws. The apparatus is designed to prevent the canine from causing further injury after surgical procedures, by restricting the animal's movement. Unlike this device which would not protect against an attack from a bird of prey, the protective device of the present invention is not intended to limit the movement of an animal. Rather it is designed to protect small dogs (e.g., twelve lbs. and under) from hawks or other raptors or birds of prey, to prevent the talons of birds of prey from penetrating through the back and/or sides of the dog's body.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0284418 to Benefiel on Dec. 29, 2005 discloses a doggie blanket coat comprising a generally rectangular blanket with relatively wide straps that secure the blanket around the chest and stomach of the dog. This is primarily used to help control dogs body temperature in extreme weather, and also to provide comfort to the animal. Unlike this device which would not protect against an attack from a bird of prey, the protective device of the present invention is not intended to be a flat, soft blanket-like coat used to comfort dogs in extreme weather. Rather it is designed to protect small dogs (e.g., twelve lbs. and under) from hawks or other raptors or birds of prey, to prevent the talons of birds of prey from penetrating through the back and/or sides of the dog's body.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0319632 to Blizzard on Dec. 23, 2010 discloses a pressure applying garment for animals used to reduce anxiety and or calm animals from loud noises like thunder or fireworks. The garment is fastened together using Velcro® and comprises spandex material that is stretchable and soft to the touch. Unlike this device which would not protect against an attack from a bird of prey, the protective device of the present invention is not intended to reduce anxiety or put pressure on a dog's body. Rather it is designed to protect small dogs (e.g., twelve lbs. and under) from hawks or other raptors or birds of prey, to prevent the talons of birds of prey from penetrating through the back and/or sides of the dog's body.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0174876 to Johnson on Jul. 12, 2012 discloses body armor or a multi-layered bullet-proof vest, for both humans and canines, to be used while hunting, as protection from firearms such as shotguns or pellet guns. The body armor comprises eight layers of fabric including nylon, laminated aramid fabric, and polypropylene. Unlike this device which is not intended to protect against an attack from a bird of prey, and which would be cumbersome, uncomfortable and cost prohibitive for such use, the protective device of the present invention is not intended as a bullet-proof vest. Rather it is designed to protect small dogs (e.g., twelve lbs. and under) from hawks or other raptors or birds of prey, to prevent the talons of birds of prey from penetrating through the back and/or sides of the dog's body.
The above described prior art devices are not intended to protect a small pet against an attack from a bird of prey, and suffer from numerous disadvantages and shortcomings. In general, these devices are bulky, cumbersome, uncomfortable, difficult to put on, restrict the animal's movement, and/or are expensive and complicated. Therefore, a need exists for a device which protects small pets from hawks or other raptors or birds of prey, to prevent the talons of birds of prey from penetrating through the back and/or sides of the dog's body, without injury to either the pet or the bird of prey, and also which is lightweight, safe and easy to use, unrestrictive, comfortable, and inexpensive, yet durable and capable of performing as intended, and which overcomes these and other disadvantages and shortcomings of prior art devices. The protection device of the exemplary teachings disclosed herein fulfills such a need.